Pet heartworm prevention is very easy to do, but curing the heartworms after your pet has contracted them is another story. It can be a difficult and expensive procedure, making it doubly important that all pet owners have their pets protected from heartworms on a regular basis. At Companion Pet Clinic, we regularly protect all our patients against heartworm, to prevent the problems that this deadly disease can cause.

The only way your dog can contract heartworms is through an infected mosquito. Unfortunately, there's no way to tell whether any certain mosquito is infected. This is why prevention from our Klamath Falls veterinarian is so important for all pets. The bite of just one infected mosquito can give unprotected pet heartworms, and they've been found in all 50 states. It's even spread to traditionally dry areas, where mosquitos have never been a problem. Basically, if there is any chance of a mosquito in your environment, your pet is in danger of being infected with heartworms. 

Once a pet is bitten by a mosquito, it takes about seven months for the larvae it deposits to mature into adult heartworms. After that, they move into the heart, lungs and blood vessels to begin reproducing. They can grow up to a foot long, live well over five years, and your pet can have as many as 250 worms at one time. If left untreated, heartworms can cause permanent heart or liver damage and even death in some cases.
 

As horrible as heartworms may seem, it's a simple thing to protect your pet from ever coming in contact with them. In our office, we offer a monthly heartworm pill that's been successful for thousands of other pets. If your pet has a problem with taking pills, we can also offer an injectable product, just like a vaccine, that we can give your pet twice a year. Both treatments will successfully keep your pet safe from heartworms all year long. 

If you opt for the monthly pill, it's important that you give it to your pet every month, not just when you think mosquitos are likely to be in the environment. The pills help your pet to build up its immunity, and skipping a dose will begin the process all over again, possibly allowing your pet to become infected before you start the pills all over again.
 

If you haven't had your pet treated for heartworm prevention, it's important that you start right away. Our veterinarian in Klamath Falls will be happy to begin treatment as soon as possible. Call our office at 541-882-7674 today.